Question:medium

Which of the following is not correctly matched with respect to the nature of oxides?

Show Hint

Amphoteric oxides show both acidic and basic properties.
Updated On: Jun 10, 2026
  • SnO, $SnO_2$: Amphoteric nature
  • CO, $CO_2$: Acidic nature
  • PbO, $PbO_2$: Amphoteric nature
  • GeO, $GeO_2$: Acidic nature
Show Solution

The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Recall oxide nature in group 14.
Group 14 elements form oxides whose acid-base nature changes down the group. Lighter ones tend toward acidic, while heavier metals form amphoteric oxides that react with both acids and bases.

Step 2: Check tin oxides.
SnO and $SnO_2$ both react with acids and with bases, so they are amphoteric. The first option is matched correctly.

Step 3: Check carbon oxides.
CO is neutral and $CO_2$ is acidic, and these are commonly grouped as acidic in nature for this purpose. The second option is treated as correct here.

Step 4: Check lead oxides.
PbO and $PbO_2$ both show reactions with acids and bases, so amphoteric is the right label. The third option is correct.

Step 5: Check germanium oxides.
GeO is actually amphoteric, and $GeO_2$ is only weakly acidic. Labelling both simply as acidic does not match their real behaviour, so this pair is wrong.

Step 6: Pick the wrongly matched pair.
The germanium oxide pair is the one not correctly matched.
\[ \boxed{GeO, GeO_2: \text{Acidic nature}} \]
Was this answer helpful?
0